Bitten By Rat, Train Passenger Suffers For 11 Hours Without Any Medical Aid

A passenger, while he was travelling in Mangalore Express was bitten by a rat on 14th March 2016 and had to suffer a bleeding toe for 11 hours before he was aided with medical treatment.

TKG Nair, victim, aged 64, administrator with a petro-chemical company, experienced this on his journey on Monday night. A fellow-passenger tweeted Suresh Prabhu about the failure to provide medical aid by the staff. In response, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, the Railway minister promised that prompt action will be taken against the errant staff.

Though the country’s largest public carrier has initiated a slew of measures to improve passenger amenities, such incidents are regularly reported from across the country. In February, Railways paid Rs 13,000 as compensation to a passenger from Kottayam who too had suffered a rat bite on an AC coach of the Mumbai-Ernakulam Duranto Express.

“The Railways is talking about big things like bullet train and Gatiman Express. What about (the) existing ones? As a regular traveller, I feel the situation is going from bad to worse,” said Nair to the Hindustan Times . Narrating the incident, Nair said he was jolted out of his slumber in an AC three-tier compartment around midnight after the train had left Kottayam station.

“My toe was bleeding and it was painful. (The) TTE made many calls and told me that a medical team would examine me at Ernakulam junction. But nobody turned up there. Then I was told a doctor would attend me in Thrissur. But the situation remained same,” he said.

When the TTE area of jurisdiction ended, he left without uttering a word.

“Next morning, when the train reached Kannur, a medical team came and cleaned my wound with anti-septic lotion. When I asked about an anti-tetanus injection I was told there was no doctor or paramedical staff to apply it. Finally, I was given an injection and some tablets including pain-killer after the train reached its destination Mangalore,” Nair added.

He said that after waking up, he saw a rat scurrying for cover. As all passengers were asleep, he approached the AC mechanic who in turn informed the ticket examiner.

Nair also said that he was planning to approach consumer forum for seeking compensation.

Every long or short distance transportation aid should possess some facilities or the other and especially long distance vehicles should possess minimum required medical facilities. This is not something new in Indian railways. Cockroaches, rats and rodents are part of our daily travel when it comes to railways. We are dreaming big when it comes to railway, but Indian railways fails miserably when it comes to providing basic services to its commuters.

Such incidents pull us back to where we started. A first-aid kid is a must to be kept as a common possession whether during travel or at places that we access daily.

The Logical Indian community requests Indian Railways to look into this matter and to work on providing basic facilities to the commuters.

Misled By IRCTC, Customer Got Compensation Of Rs 7,000

Partner Story

This Mother’s Day, Let Us Make A Real Difference In Our Mother’s Life

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

Mothers play a crucial role in our lives. Since we were little, they held our hands, acting as our guide into the world. They took care of all our needs – from teaching us how to hold a spoon, cooking delicious meals for us, dropping us to school and sitting with us while we struggled with our math homework – mothers have been there through thick and thin.

On the special occasion of Mother’s Day, Friends Adult Diapers has a beautiful message for each of us – treat your mother the way she has treated you all her life.

It was our mothers who stayed up all night taking care of us when we fell sick; it was her who help us with our homework. This Mother’s Day, remember to take care and support your mother the way she took care of you all these years.

The minds and bodies of our ageing parents dwindle as they grow even older, and somewhere in the incoherence of understanding their thoughts, children lose patience. They spend less and less time with their parents and hire others to look after them. A study by HelpAge India gives accounts of the elderly, most of whom testify to verbal abuse, neglect and disrespect by their children. Old people rely on their children for both emotional and financial support but, often times are not given the needed care.

There is little difference in how we were as toddlers and how parents are as senior citizens. They couldn’t understand the gibber we uttered then, yet taught us different languages. We were financially dependent on them till at least 18 years of age yet, they never said no to giving us pocket money. Why cannot we echo the same patience our parents showed for so many years?

Our parents have an unconditional love for us. They made sure all our needs are cared for and we never feel alone. When we grow up and our parents enter old age, they require the same care and affection. They would be delighted if we spent time with them after classes or work, make tea or cook for them and also help them with household chores when they have too many things at hand.

It is our responsibility to stand with our parents when they are weak; it is our responsibility to cook for them when they are too tired, and it is our responsibility to take care of them when they fall sick.

Mother’s Day is a celebration in honour of motherhood, a tribute to maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. Let us make a real difference by showing how much we truly care for our mothers.

Friends Adult Diapers has taken a wonderful initiative in this regard. The most precious gift for a mother is her child. So why not take this as an opportunity to shower her with the same love? After all, she deserves it for being with you through every obstacle and every hardship that you faced.